[News] Crowdsourcing revenge

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strawman

strawman

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmir...slist-to-crowd-source-revenge/?partner=obtech

After a disgruntled law student who was the subject of a story I wrote for Above the Law posted my photo and cell phone number in a “Casual Encounters” ad on Craigslist — causing my phone to ring off the hook for hours one Sunday morning — I coined the term “crowd-sourced revenge” to describe it. I was far from the only victim of a Fake-Craigslist-Ad prank. It’s a fairly easy and anonymous way to recruit unwitting volunteers to harass a person who has gotten under your skin. But it’s also illegal.

A security consultant contacted me saying he wanted to assist me in pressing charges, but I felt satisfied enough after having written about it. In that post last year, I mentioned cases in which victims had chosen to involve authorities:

(1) A feuding Connecticut neighbor posted a fake orgy ad in Casual Encounters titled “Looking for Lust,” claiming it had been posted by a “married West Hartford soccer mom … looking for group sex.” Several lusty strangers showed up (while one confused one showed up at the wrong address where he groped a confused teenage girl in his eagerness).

(2) An angry pharmacist at a CVS in Norwalk, Conn. created a fake “Sex Partner Wanted” ad after a female customer complained of bad service. She got numerous calls; when Craigslist later provided her with the email address linked to the ad’s posting, police were able to link it back to the pharmacist.

(3) A 40-year-old woman in Long Island posted a “looking for a good time?” ad in an Escort Service area on Craigslist, providing the phone number for her 9-year-old neighbor after the little girl argued with her daughter;

(4) In the most disturbing example of Craigslist revenge I’ve ever come across, a rejected ex-boyfriend posted a “rape fantasy” ad on behalf of his ex-girlfriend, and a 26-year-old man fulfilled it.
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The article goes on to discuss the penalties each of the offenders in the above cases received, which consisted of jail time in only one of the four.

I've always been pretty free and easy with my information online - it's not difficult to find my name, address, phone number, and even cell phone if one pokes around a little bit. Now I'm thinking that it only takes one person who is only mildly pissed off at me to post a fake ad and cause me some inconvenience if not real harm.

This is why we can't have nice things...
 
LittleSin

LittleSin

Damn. That last one is fucked up AND one of the few times I feel sympathy for the 'rapist'. I mean, I feel for the victim as well...I just can't help feeling bad for the guy who became and unwitting weapon in a bitter feud.
 
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